Today there are many types of networks available, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. One major drawback of networks today is apparent when users of the network attempt to find relevant information on the network, especially given that some networks, such as the Internet, contain countless pieces of information that may or may not be relevant to the user. There is just so much information that the user finds it very difficult to sort through it all.
Some methods have been developed to assign value to information on a network to assist in finding relevant information. One method is a social network. In a social network, a first user of the network may make a recommendation regarding information, but only other users who have a personal knowledge of the first user have a pre-determined basis for considering the recommendation to be valuable or noteworthy based on the trust that they have in that person. All other users who have no personal knowledge of the first user have no basis for determining if the recommendation is valuable, or noteworthy. Therefore, those other users must spend the time to view the content, or simply ignore the recommendation before they can determine if it is valuable or noteworthy.
Furthermore, even those who have a personal knowledge of, and trust in, the first user still have a difficult time sifting through all of the recommendations from just their trusted friends and family, especially since the trusted friends and family may not necessarily be an expert judge of good content. Hence, there may be much better content beyond what is recommended by the circle of trust, but no way to really find it.